2028/Good dog!

Good dog!
Date of Scene:	13 October 2016
Location:	Uminari City - Seishou Public School
Synopsis:	Naru and Ikiko rescue a lost poodle, and get to chatting magical life and curses.
Cast of Characters:	Naru Osaka, Ikiko Hisakata

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Naru Osaka has posed:
Morning again. It really does seem to turn up every day like clockwork, and today is no different. Possibly even worse, it's a school morning, and there are plenty of kids in varying states of enthusiasm turning up at Seishou for another day of mind stretching and social shaping into good and well educuated citizens.

Naru is there early, school uniform looking like everyone else's, her short haircut from the summer growing out again, tied back with a ribbon as it does.

She's just outside the school grounds, perhaps half a block down the street, crouched down with her satchel open next to her, a bit of her lunch in her hand as she peers under a parked car. "C'mon little one."

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata is one of the ones arriving with somewhat subdued enthusiasm, although in her case it's from tiredness instead of dislike of school. She had spent a large chunk of the evening reading through her family's records, looking for information on cursed items they had dealt with over the years, and as a result she had gotten to bed late.

Still, she's awake enough to notice things that aren't everyday occurrences. Ikiko blinks at the sight of a middle-schooler crouched near a car, then walks over, trying to make enough noise to not catch the older girl by surprise while still being quiet enough to disturb whatever's going on.

"Wha'cha doing?" she asks, crouching near Naru and glancing between her and under the car.

Naru Osaka has posed:
Under the car there's just a flash of dirty white fur and a somewhat bedraggled purple ribbon as something moves around at the sound of another approaching.

Naru glances up as Ikiko approaches and there's a quirk of a rueful smile. "I saw a little dog dodging in traffic, and she's hiding under here, but she doesn't want to come out. I can't say I blame her for being scared."

Naru peers back under the car. "C'mon little one, I'm sure your humans are worried sick about you."

There's a coffee in a take out cup next to Naru's satchel, clearly Ikiko isn't the only one tired this morning.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata looks at the dog, then glances at Naru. Hmmm, time for a splash of truth and some reliance on partial unintelligibility...

"I'm in the Animal Care club; maybe I can help get her out," Ikiko offers. She peers under the car, then starts to gently bark and woof.

Or at least, that's what it sounds like to human ears; in actuality, she's talking in caninespeak. "Hello there! How are you doing?" Ikiko asks the little dog.

Naru Osaka has posed:
Naru looks back and the expression on her face is one of relief and gratitude. "Animal Care club? Clearly it's my, and this little pup's lucky day." She offers the treat if Ikiko wants it to tempt the little dog and settles back to kneeling as she listens.

"I wannna go hoooome!" The little dog yips back to the gentle barks and woofs that are the first thing this morning that's made any sense at all. It's a wary little head that peeks out at Ikiko, only one ear visible, with purple ribbon and plenty of dirt.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata takes the offered treat, but doesn't hold it out yet. "We can help you get home," she barks reassuringly. "It might take a bit of time, but we can get you fed and cleaned up in the meantime."

She offers the treat. "Go ahead and come with us, and we'll help you," she adds. "I can even carry you if you're tired of walking."

Naru Osaka has posed:
Naru is carefully peeking, but keeping as still and quiet as she can. She knows full well when its not her skills that are useful here. She glances to Ikiko and then back to the pup as they clearly carry on some sort of conversation. In barking. And yips. And woofs. There's a little pause and then Naru asks quietly. "What's she saying? Is she alright?"

Because the idea what Ikiko actually knows doesn't seem terribly far fetched.

The wee dog looks a little skeptical, but squirms a bit closer, breaking cover at the temptation of a friendly bark and that treat. "I have good humans. And I'm hungry. And there's no blankets. I got lost." It's such a sad little litany, and full of doggie shame at not having been a good boy. It's a little poodle cross, all curly fur and probably usually white, but not at the moment. Only one purple ribbon remains, the other lost somewhere along the way.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
"Lost and hungry, but otherwise okay," Ikiko replies to Naru in Japanese. She holds the treat closer to the dog and pets it, giving it a quick check for a collar (and possible tag). While the club room does have some animal carriers for transport and temporary holding, a more straightforward reunion is best.

"There, there," Ikiko woofs reassuringly in caninespeak. "Everyone makes mistakes, and I'm sure your humans will be glad to see you. Come on, let's get you a bowl of food and water, plus a warm place to rest while we find your humans."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Oh good." Naru is pleased to hear that the little dog isn't injured at least. Lost and hungry are much easier to fix, one more immediately than the other. "Does she want more?" Naru reaches for her lunch, to get more of it to offer to the little dog.

The poodle is easily tempted by soothing words and treats. Especially treats of people food that are usually forbidden treats! He squirms over to settle with Ikiko, licking her fingers to ensure he's gotten all of the treat.

While there was probably once a collar, based on the way his fur has squished, it's as lost as the other purple ribbon. "I like you. You're nice. You smell funny." Clearly that last is entirely outweighed by pettings and treats.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata picks up the poodle and gives him skritchies. "Probably, but dog food would probably be better for him," she giggles to Naru. "Collar's lost, so we'll have to do a bit of work to find out where he lives. Although..."

She glances at Naru, then back at the dog. Well, in for a grain of rice, in for a meal. "What do you remember about your home neighborhood?" she asks the poodle.

Naru Osaka has posed:
Naru giggles and offers her hand out, sans treat, for sniffing and vetting before scritches. "Sorry little guy, no more of my lunch for you. The expert has spoken." She nods at the mention of a lost collar. "He can't of gotten /that/ far, I shouldn't think? He's pretty dirty, but not super skinny at least."

Naru doesn't seem to blink at the conversation going on between the girl and the poodle. It's honestly the least of the weird that's gone on even just this week.

"Oh that's a good spot!" The poodle leans into the skritches, further proving beyond a doubt of his status as beloved pet rather than tough guy. "It has trees and squirrels and a scary cat upstairs who sits on our balcony and I protect my tiny humans from it. And it almost always smells all beefy and tasty." The poodle sighs happily in memory, giving Ikiko's fingers a little nudge with his nose.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata keeps skritching as she thinks about the description. Probably an apartment, if the balcony comment is anything to go by. And a consistent smell of beef? That should help narrow it down; maybe she can remember a place with a scent like that, either from her own experience or from her times listening to the strays of the town.

She looks over at the older girl. "I gotta say, you're taking this pretty well," Ikiko remarks. "Name's Ikiko Hisakata; nice to meet you!"

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Nice to meet you, Ikiko." Naru reaches over to scritch the poodle now that he's well in hand, smiling as he nuzzles in against the younger girl. "I'm Naru Osaka. I.. well.. honestly, chatting with a stray pup isn't the weirdest thing this week, so it's all about perspective."

"Any ideas on where he might live?" Naru asks as she glances between the two. "I don't think we're going to manage to get him home before class starts, unless he's memorized his address."

The poodle is quite content to snuggle into Ikiko's arms, accepting that as the safe spot that it is, giving the girl a lick, but staying quiet for the moment.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
"No address, but a description that sounds like an apartment near a place that smells like beef," Ikiko shrugs, starting to head towards school. "We can at least get him to the club room for now, and I can let the adviser know about it."

She gives Naru a wry smile. "Sounds like you've had a busy week, and quite possibly several interesting ones before that," she remarks.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I wonder if he means a butcher, or like.. a noodle place." Naru speculates as she turns and bends to close up her lunch and satchel, collecting it and her coffee. "Or somewehre with beef soup or something."

Naru quirks a half smile. "Most weeks are interesting. I'm going to make the guess that your weeks aren't quite so quiet yourself."

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata laughs ruefully. "That obvious, huh? Well, most aren't too bad, but with a cousin of mine running away from home recently and her turning out to be responsible for some trouble..."

Her expression sobers up. "Just in case you hadn't known before, be careful around those oddly-acting puddles of shadow and the creatures that lurk around them," she warns.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Only obvious because we're both thinking it." Naru points out and then frowns a little. "Sorry to hear about your cousin.. anyone I know?"

And then the conversation continues and Naru ahs softly and nods slowly. "I'd heard about the shadows, and I've met some of the creatures. Although I think its ramping up faster than it has been. I had an early encounter with her which was before it got bad. It's worrisome, to say the least."

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata nods. "Definitely much worse than back in February," she agrees. "There's a thread of possibility of saving her from herself, but it's not likely to be easy. At least there's multiple people working on it!"

There's a yawn as her body remembers part of that work. "Sorry about that; trying to figure out which cursed item is behind this takes a fair amount of late-night reading," she apologizes.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I tend to be an optimist on the topic of saving people from themselves. I don't think its ever easy." Naru agrees as she reaches out to scritch the relaxed poodle.

"It's alright." Naru tries to stifle her own yawn and then there's a half smile. "Although you yawning will get me started, and then we're fairly well doomed." She takes a sip from her take out coffee cup and then considers a moment. "I don't know very much about cursed items. I don't know much about items, cursed or not, to be honest. Are they all documented?"

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
"If they've been dealt with before, then sure," Ikiko remarks. "Notes on the trouble they caused, information about their origin if it's known, details on how they were neutralized, and any special instructions for keeping them from acting up. That way, if they do get free later, the next person to deal with them will have a better idea of what to do."

Sure, discussing her family's vocation isn't a normal topic, but talking shop with someone in the know about magic? That's a reasonable line of conversation.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Hunh. That's really interesting, actually." Naru comments with a soft little noise and a little nod. "Makes a lot of sense, too. I'm guessing that you're having no luck coming up with Shiniko's." She pauses again and glances to Ikiko. "Were the mentions of missing cousin and shadows and creatures connected?" She asks, carefully, but simply enough.

The lack of freakout over canine speak apparently extends to cursed items too. Naru is eternally chill, it would seem.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
A sad nod. "Turns out that a bunch of what I thought were coincidences weren't, and her girlfriend confirmed it," Ikiko sighs. "I... can't exactly blame her for trying out a cursed item, but given how dangerous that one seems to be, I doubt that she accidentally took it."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Oh that has to suck a whole lot." Naru's voice is edged with sympathy and then a little thoughtful frown as she works through names and connections and tries to put together the who and where and girlfriends into places.

"I've been cursed a few times, although never by an item, and I have got to say it was not something I'm in a rush to repeat. Are items less disconcerting?" Naru asks curiously.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
"I can't say that I've had much experience with being cursed by items," Ikiko mentions, looking at Naru with an expression of impressed respect. Someone who's been on the receiving end of several curses? No wonder she's not surprised by magical stuff! "I mean, tapping into latent lycanthropy is one thing, but I haven't had much hands-on experience with more malignant cursed items."

A slight smile comes to her face. "It was actually kind of dreamlike at first, although it did take me by surprise when I realized that I wasn't dreaming," she giggles.

Naru Osaka has posed:
The phrase 'tapping into latent lycanthropy' does give Naru just a hint of pause and she quirks her head. "Is that why you and our little poodle understand each other so well?" She asks, curiously, giving the dog another little scritch.

"I've a few experiences that I could classify like that. First time I got kidnapped, it absolutely felt dreamlike, and it wasn't until it was all over that I really processed that it hadn't been a big fever dream or something." Naru comments with rueful agreement. "I'm pretty sure I learn new stuff every week, if not every day, so the dream's not over yet."

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
"It's why I'm as fluent in canine as I am in Japanese, yes," Ikiko nods. "Mind you, even before then I had a knack for understanding the sense of what they were trying to communicate, but it wasn't in words. So you can see why I thought it was a dream when I found myself able to talk freely with dogs!"

Another skritch for the poodle. "It's still a learning experience for me, too," she admits. "Just when I think I'm getting the hang of the scale of magic, I realize that it's still bigger than I expected."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I can imagine why that would seem like a dream!" Naru agrees with a smile and a nod. "I've had my powers.. er.. six weeks? Almost two months? I've known longer, and been able to see, and ask questions, but actually /do/ anything? Not very long. I know I don't have the hang of much of anything yet, except how to call friends for help when I'm in over my head."

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
"Oh, neat!" Ikiko beams. "Maybe we'll see each other on a rooftop some night, or when facing down a youma.

An idea comes to mind, although there's a minor complication in doing it at the moment. "Say, once I get this guy settled in, do you want to trade phone numbers so we can call on each other in a pinch?"

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I'm not likely to be on rooftops, but facing down a youma is entirely possible." Naru agrees with a nod and a smile.

Naru digs out her phone and flicks through screens to get to being able to text. "What's your number? I'll text you and then you'll have mine too. People to call on in a pinch is awesome. I've had to do it a lot. Especially before I had any powers of my own."

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata relays her number along with a smile. "I need to get this guy settled in and tell the adviser about him before class starts, but... if we haven't heard otherwise, would you like to join me after school in looking for his home?"

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Totally." Naru agrees as she glances to the clock for how long 'til class starts. "Thanks for taking care of him. We'll find his humans after school." She sends up a quick text so that they really do have each other's numbers. "Have a good one. See you after school." She adds after a moment with a grin. "Good luck staying awake."